Bluesound Node 2i Music Streamer Review

Discover the best music streamer in 2020; the Bluesound Node 2i is a feature-rich music player. This review covers the features and advantages of owning a music streamer and why you most definitely need one.
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[@CraciunAlexandruGh]

Where is the review ? This is a presentation. No words on sound quality or performance.

[@homerjones3291]

Indeed. Day late and a dollar short. No one needs to watch more than one unboxing and how-to setup. Shoulda gave impressions about SQ using internal or external dac, maybe how it compares to a similar device.....

[@marcus1970]

Still enjoying my (older) Node2 after 4 years or so now... The user interface has continually been updated and has evolved into a smooth running, intuitive user experience ..... Sound and build quality is superb for the price point too.... and as you point out, connection to an external DAC of your choice opens things up even more.... .... Flexible, inexpensive, highly accomplished, compact unit.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

The left and right channel of your Node 2i are correct. You seem to have the latest iteration of the 2i production. Usually left and right are twisted.

[@klabuma]

1st time here.. "What's in The Box" destroyed me.. :-D . Nice review btw.

[@elliottrosewater]

Great review. I'm currently using a chromecast audio and I love it, so easy and sounds pretty good all things considered. However I feel I'm not getting the most out of my system. This might be a naive question, but a) would the sound be a considerable upgrade even when not utilizing the MQA capabilities etc? And b) it is as easy to control wirelessly throught the bluesound app as just casting direct from the Tidal app? Again, thanks!

[@mykandrew]

The original Chromecast, not available anymore today, is said to be a really good option. 👍 I want to get my hands on one!

[@blue-ck9ns]

That’s awesome that this has sub out!!! Now I can use a sub with my wireless active speakers.

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Really enjoyed the video Mike! I found it very informative. Have been giving this device a serious look. Love the price tag!

[@mykandrew]

Thank you my friend, much appreciated

[@jamest1254]

Thanks for the review. So was the internal dac? Better off using the coax to pre amp and using pre amps dac?

[@HEARDIFFERENT]

I feel so proud and envy the same time 😱❤️❤️❤️🎛🎛🎛🔊🔊🔊

[@parker4551]

First time here. Just bought the bluesound and love it.

[@bamptonbred]

Hi James, are u still loving the Bluesound? Thinking of buying one to use with my new AE1 Active speakers

[@kaelmedia8693]

Nice Review!👍 Love these Bluesound products good value and quality for the price👌🏻

[@mykandrew]

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@richardpeters2193]

Nice review thank you! I don't remember you saying how the Topping DAC comparison went but I struggle with the idea of it beating the internal DAC since it is not MQA?

[@theramones48]

Who needs MQA, really. Under 10% of Tidal.. And that's only an File tidal has, no other streaming service..

[@ArnaudSiemons]

Great review. Can this Node2i connect to 'third party' wireless speakers? Thank you very much in advance. Greetings from Holland.

[@teotuckseng7721]

Is the sound quality of Bluesound Node better than Bluesound Node 2i? Is it worth to buy the Bluesound Node, since it more expensive than Node 2i by about USD150? Kindly advise

[@mykandrew]

Sounds the same, save the money and get Node 2i

[@BruTay5454]

Nice review, I just found your channel & subscribed. Did you do an A/B comparison of the DAC in the Node vs your Topping E30? And the price you mentioned ($449) was a sale price which is now over. Would you recommend it as highly for the normal price of $549? Thanks!

[@mykandrew]

Yes I did, I haven't really been able to tell an audible difference yet, however I am going to use different types of speakers. I believe the Node uses the Burr Brown DAC which is a great DAC so we shall see.

[@dannytran173]

Can someone explain to me why streamers are so expensive? Budget streamers are like 500 dollars. Is it the dac or the streaming capability that makes it expensive. Even large companies charge 200 like Amazon. Amazon makes smart boxes cheap as 25 dollars so I don’t understand why streaming music is such an expensive premium. Computers cost under 500 so I don’t understand how streamers cost so much more on average than a computer.

[@darrencosby8936]

More expensive is not always better, however there is a bit of minimum investment for good sound. You an buy a Cheaper product that’s sounds as good, but you have to DIY it a bit. Good sound is cheap, but very good sound is pricey. The blue sound is a a streamer , a dac, and a software interface for the price. It stands out for being feature rich and very good software. I have the power node and am stoked. I can buy progressively more preferred speakers (see expensive)for a long time before I out talent the device. After that, it becomes an office or bedroom device. I like simplicity, I’m not a tinkerer, so I prefer this option to separates.

[@10isitch52]

For a low-cost option, if you already have a home theater receiver just plug in a Roku stick or Chromecast and you have a streamer you can control from your phone.

[@nycbass78]

I recently received the node ,I’m not impressed by its dac sound quality,I was running an IPhone /cobalt dragonfly combo and the sound difference it’s noticeable .I do like it as a streamer ,but I can’t connect my cobalt to it and use it as my dac.don’t know if I should return it.any suggestions

[@theramones48]

Computer is the worst way to listen music..

[@hannusivula5522]

Having annoying lip sync problems with my Node 2i & Samsung TV. Anyone experiencing similar problems? Any solutions available?

[@berj79]

so if you connect this to an AV receiver like an Arcam AVR550, do you suggest using the RCA or digital output from the Node 2i? also the volume on the Node 2i should be maxed & the listening level adjusted on the Arcam? Thanks.

[@RabbieGrouse]

What length are the RCA cables and are they good enough or are you better buying a dearer RCA cable and if so which one. Thanks

[@mykandrew]

I use Audience AV cables however, Audioquest would work just fine.

[@RabbieGrouse]

Thanks

[@parenthlete]

Would you suggest this as a digital source into a Naim dac?

[@mykandrew]

Absolutely! Sorry for the ridiculously late reply!

[@emilianomontanari283]

the optical is out (not in) right? i want to connect it to a quest dac and bypass internal one

[@randomreviews569]

I've been using a raspberry pi 4 previously a 3b with a hifi berry that uses a burr brown dac. What dac is used in this if you know and is it better then the raspberry pi with a hifiberry? I was using volumio and most my audio I ripped into wav from my over 1000 cd collection.

[@leonardserrani9481]

I have a nudie question. Does streaming through this device give me better quality then if I sent it through my iPhone directly to the preamp? I'm assuming that using the app will download it directly from the streaming app (Spotify, Amazon, Whatever) and use the DAC in this device to decode at a much higher rate then I can get from my iPhone. Is this a correct statement? Thank you.

[@CarlosPerez-eb5er]

I use Node 2i > Topping D90 dac. Very happy. I do recommend wired. Also import to me, Roon ready and they work perfectly together.

[@LuisFlores-gc5zm]

Can you change the name of the device in order to manage some of them in the same house friendly ?

[@GurjeetSagoo]

You can definitely change the name of the device. I have had the node 2i for over a year. I have it placed in my bedroom and have simply named it that. Hope this helps!

[@goodsound4756]

It‘s „Roon Ready“ but it has still hearable audio glitches when used as a Roon endpoint. How disappointing. Since the beginning of this product until the release of its successor, this was never fixed by a firmware update. A typical hyped product that turns out to be barely average.

[@jimkyle571]

Is SiriusXM built in? Did not see it on the screenshot.

[@stevenbond1394]

What is your opinion about external DAC to improve sound

[@mykandrew]

Honestly didn’t notice much of a difference

[@stevenbond1394]

@@mykandrew in your opinion how expensive , in the future if one wants to improve the dimension of the sound, would you suggest a better streamer or higher level DAC?

[@mykandrew]

@@stevenbond1394 a better streamer and Dac combo. However I fed the Bluesound should fit most people’s needs

[@superpeca]

So, is the internal DAC better than Topping E30?

[@mykandrew]

No, I’d still go with the topping

[@Tendervittle]

What is your optical cable

[@mykandrew]

I can't remember what I used back then, however now I use a Audioquest Carbon Optical Cable, which is probably overkill but I liked it and it was an impulse buy lol

[@Tendervittle]

@@mykandrew thanks for answering. I appreciate

[@patrickdempsey3758]

What’s the best audio connection-rca or optical cable?

[@mykandrew]

Hey Patrick, well if you’re using a really good DAC then optical would be a good option however, the Node 2i has a good DAC already built in so I would stick with RCA’s on this one.

[@goodsound4756]

I disagree, optical connections are notorious for high jitter. So digital RCA is clearly preferable over toslink.

[@jc6993]

Can I adjust the sound EQ in the app?

[@allanma3531]

Hi Mike, I stored my music in 2T hard drive with a USB type A connector. Can I connect it to Bluesound node?

[@Shawn-wy1pb]

I wouldn’t add a hard disk as the unit doesn’t turn off so your disk will be on all the time. A memory stick would be fine as long as you can format it with the correct file system .

[@slumgullianpass]

Anyone but me find the node 2 DAC very bright?

[@DJdavefromlondon]

video could be half the length. where is the comparison vs topping ?

[@mykandrew]

Would you like to provide your video editing services at no cost?

[@jmp622]

Where is review ? This is how to hook up. Sound quality, etc. how is DAC?

[@mykandrew]

Dac is meh. I run it it through an external DAC and it sounds great 👍🏻

[@gj8550]

I am so impressed with my Node 2i that I started ripping my CDs onto a USB drive and listen to them on the 2i. I do find the DAC in the 2i a little weak when compare to the rest of my setup that consists of Mac amp and pre, Cary 200tsDAC, Sonus Faber Sonetto 3 and Nordost Red Dawn power, interconnect and speaker cables. My biggest gripe was that $2 power cord that came with the 2l. And it doesn’t even come with proper HiFi receptor that allows me to use a half decent power cord. So I cut off the connector that goes to the 2l and soldered it to a Nordost Red Dawn. Wow. What an improvement, especially with music ripped from CDs. Bigger sound stage, more details, articulate bass. Mind you, the Red Dawn casts as much as the 2l. Lol. But we’ll worth the money. Suggestion to BLUESOUND...sell an adapter that allow people to use a proper HiFi power cord.

[@theramones48]

If you can hear the difference of an power cord... go to a hearing doctor :D

[@gj8550]

@@theramones48 If you can’t, you are wasting your money on your HiFi gear. Buy a boom box. 😂

[@theramones48]

@@gj8550 So you changed the wires from the back of your wall socket all the way to the power plant too ? You didin't ? So your Fat cord means nothing you fool... :D

[@gj8550]

@@theramones48 Apparently you don’t understand the effects of EMI.

[@RolandsZeltins]

Is it Roon ready?

[@goodsound4756]

It‘s „Roon Ready“ but it has still hearable audio glitches when used as a Roon endpoint. How disappointing. Since the beginning of this product until the release of its successor, this was never fixed by a firmware update. A typical hyped product that turns out to be barely average.

[@intothedragon]

Review???

[@ffuentes900]

So little time spent on sound quality ....

[@xstensl8823]

the internal DAC in the 2i sucks. buy a $1000 external DAC to use with it. a streamer is a streamer. the DAC is what's important for SQ

[@mykandrew]

Agreed! Any suggestions within that price range?

[@christopher1800]

@@mykandrew I really like the sound of the ifi Neo iDSD... and it’s cheaper than $1000 (I don’t think it’s about the price anyway). For headphones it’s excellent, as long as they don’t need lots of power. I’m using the combo with a Focal Celestee.

[@theramones48]

A 1000 dollar Dac Stuck's big time man, you need a 5000 dollar Dac to do a decent job.

[@xstensl8823]

@@theramones48 i have a 7 year old NAD D1050 its good enough, and i have played the best concert grands. also i have been in the homes of some of the worlds most famous musicians and you would be surprised how humble their systems are.

[@talhabutt6416]

❤️

[@mykandrew]

Thank you :)

[@RayPaganJr]

Looks like they raised their price by $100. That sucks.

[@mykandrew]

I saw that. It will probably come down again around the holidays!

[@johnmc3862]

Sound.

[@stevec3526]

Yes, the BluOS Controller was rated at 2 stars. That tells you a lot.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

The app is way better than 2 stars. I guess the only people who rate this app are the ones who don’t know how to turn on their smartphones.

[@richardpeters2193]

One of the best streaming apps out there many streamers such as Innuos don't have their own app. I find Tidal runs more stable running through the Bluesound app than it does through the Tidal app. I am constantly rebooting the Tidal app and I am running hard wired ethernet. I am 62 years old, hardly the computer wiz and had no trouble getting started with the Bluesound app through Tidal first time out of the box. Also, I am running through a dedicated tablet (android not Apple they say Apple OS sounds better which is why some companies do not support android) not a phone.

[@christopher1800]

It has a bit of a learning curve. And some features are tucked away in menus (f.i.: bluetooth headphone connection.. what on earth was bluesound thinking?? and you’ ll need to do that each and every time!). But overall, it’s fine. It’s always those who can’t adapt to a slightly “off” user experience/interface who rate these things.

[@dannylee5588]

This isn't a porn or love story.. Just get to it screw the hand lotion commercial pitch..

[@samuelpetit-homme8390]

$449? you mean $549?

[@mykandrew]

I only paid 449 on Amazon

[@samuelpetit-homme8390]

@@mykandrew lucky you! I'll probably return mine anyway. the app is horrendous for amazon music.

[@Mottra65]

Love watching boxes being opened. 👎👎